A former finance director of BP who played a key role in a series of moves made by the oil major has died aged 72.
The New Zealand born finance director was part of a team that worked closely with former chief executive Lord Browne during his leadership of the company.
Buchanan, who trained as an industrial chemist, had been seen as an unusual choice when he became finance director with BP in 1996.
He was described by his former boss as “very clear and very outspoken about what he believed in”.
During his time at BP – and with skills honed while at Harvard Business School – Buchanan managed to eradicate $6billion of expenditure and $10billion of assets from the company by the end of 2001.
Buchanan was part of the team that saw the energy company return from loss into a giant which became second in growth only to ExxonMobil in the US.
Major steps included a first joint-venture in Russia in 1997, followed by what was at the time, the largest industrial merger as it took over Amoco in 1998.
The turn of the millennium saw two further takeovers, Atlantic Richfield in the US and Burmah- Castrol in the UK.
Buchanan became a non-executive director of Boots and Astra-Zeneca while still at BP, before taking mandatory retirement at the age of 60 in 2003.
Following his move away from BP, he joined the boards of Vodafone – where he was deputy chairman from 2006 to 2012.
He also joined BHP Billiton where he was senior independent director until he passed away.
Buchanan was also a member of the Accounting Standards Board and chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce in the UK.
As well as an award from his home country of New Zealand, he was also knighted in 2012.
A keen golfer and skier, he married Rosemary Johnston in 1967; she survives him along with their son and daughter.
Sir John Buchanan, born on June 9th 1943, passed away on July 13, 2015.
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